Box Office: ‘Call of the Wild’ to Narrowly Beat ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’

Disney-20th Century’s launch of the Harrison Ford movie has opened well above pre-release expectations and will wind up with a $3 million lead on “Sonic.” STX’s supernatural horror sequel “Brahms: The Boy II” is battling “Bad Boys for Life” for fourth place with about $6 million at 2,151 venues, in line with forecasts.

Paramount’s second weekend of “Sonic” has slid 57% to about $25 million at 4,198 sites after its stellar launch over the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend. The film, a live-action and CGI hybrid about the speedy hedgehog, will finish the weekend with about $105 million in its first 10 days in North America.

Opening-day audiences gave “The Call of the Wild” an A- Cinemascore. Ford stars as outdoorsman John Thornton in an adaptation of Jack London’s novel set during the Klondike Gold Rush in the 1890s. His co-star is Buck, a CGI Saint Bernard-Scotch Collie mix who is stolen from his home in California, sent to Canada to haul freight and becomes Thornton’s friend.

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Reviews for “The Call of the Wild” have generated a 64% “fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film, written by Michael Green (“Logan,” “Blade Runner 2049”) and directed by Chris Sanders, carries a $125 million price tag. Disney inherited the movie as part of its purchase of Fox’s entertainment assets last year.

Opening-day audiences gave “Brahms: The Boy II” a C- Cinemascore, and the PG-13 thriller generated a dismal 9% score on Rotten Tomatoes. “Brahms,” based on the character from 2016’s “The Boy,” stars Katie Holmes in the sequel, which follows a young family that moves into the guest house of a terrifying mansion.

Warner Bros.’ third weekend of Margot Robbie’s “Birds of Prey” will likely finish in third place ahead of “Brahms” in the $7 million range. The R-rated superhero movie will finish the weekend with $72 million in its first 17 days in North America.

Sony’s sixth weekend of “Bad Boys for Life” will lift the action-comedy’s total to $190 million at the domestic box office by the end of the weekend. Universal’s ninth weekend of “1917” is heading for sixth place with about $4.6 million at 2,552 sites for a North American total of $152 million. Sony’s second session of “Fantasy Island” was heading for seventh as it fell 66% to $4.1 million at 2,704 venues to a 10-day total of $20 million.

Sony’s 11th weekend of “Jumanji: The Next Level” and Neon’s 20th weekend of “Parasite” were in a battle for eighth place, each with about $3.3 million. The “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” sequel will wind up the weekend with a $311 million domestic total, while “Parasite” will is nearing $49 million in North America.

Imax released a digitally re-mastered version of Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” for a one-week run at select Imax locations this weekend. “Parasite” is the first non-English-language movie ever to win the Oscar for best picture. The darkly comic thriller also won Oscars for director, international film and original screenplay.

“Parasite” trails three films on the list of top foreign-language grossers in North America –“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” ($128.1 million), “Life Is Beautiful” ($57.2 million), and “Hero” ($53.7 million). The film, which premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Palme d’Or, has taken in $155 million from international markets.

Universal’s second weekend of “The Photograph” should round out the top 10 North American titles with $3 million at 2,516 sites. The romance-drama slid 75% from its opening and will finish the frame with $18 million in its first 10 days.

TruTV’s limited release of “Impractical Jokers: The Movie” was projected to wind up in 11th place with $2.3 million at 360 locations. The reality comedy film is directed by Chris Henchy and stars Brian “Q” Quinn, Joe Gatto, James “Murr” Murray, Sal Vulcano, and Paula Abdul.